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Picture Perfect

Posted on February 18, 2019

Artwork inspires a daring redesign

The owners of this once Mediterranean home in Bonita Springs’ Bonita Bay did not see eye-to-eye on the original aesthetic and set out to renovate the space to better please both the owners. They took the first step toward a daring redesign at Home & Design Magazine’s Luxury Home Show where they met exhibitor and award-winning principal designer and CEO Jenny Provos, of K2 Design Group.

“They liked that we focus on fearless design. Initially they brought me in to look at the kitchen, but you can imagine, if a kitchen is such that the owners want to make a major change then there are likely to be some other issues with the house. Ultimately we left very little untouched,” explains Provost of the reimagining of the home’s entire interior.

Provost drew upon her 25 years of experience as an architectural designer to envision a modern environment with clean lines and some surprising elements and design details. “In order to do a proper job on their kitchen, I felt that some surgery was required. The kitchen was an odd shape, so we morphed an underused closet into the kitchen to increase the size and eliminate a formerly 45-degree angled wall and create a modern 90-degree corner,” explains Provost.

Unforeseen problems in the existing construction also required Provost to figure out a way to cleverly camouflage issues in the kitchen ceiling. “I thought I would do a lot of different planes and stack them and it would be fun and focal and give dimension to a pretty flat room… and it did!” says Provost. “I think the ceiling detail makes the room.”

Provost presented the owners with a focal piece of art by Amy Donaldson for the kitchen space. Taking it one innovative step further, she suggested “painting” the kitchen backsplash with a custom mosaic inspired by the art. “I wanted to do something unique, invented for these clients in the kitchen area. I thought what if I take inspiration from the art and throw it all over the kitchen? So I did’,” laughs Provost. Provost used color and movement in the mosaic cut glass tile to have the painting seemingly overflow into the kitchen.

Excited by the progress in the kitchen, the owners started talking about the potential of removing columns in the dining room. “We got the original construction plans and looked inside the walls and found out that we could remove the columns, then of course we couldn’t leave the ceiling there, one thing touches another thing… and so on,” recalls Provost.

The result is a cohesive, modern interior space with striking detail that leaves no hint of its former over-the-top faux-painted Mediterranean style, now “picture perfect” to the owners who definitively see eye-to-eye on the daring redesign.

The redesign of this once dated formal living room creates a modern, functional great room space. Ceiling detail gives the room a sense of place, and delineates the dining area, foyer, and living spaces. The foyer, previously decorated with a faux column and arch configuration, now combines three of Provost’s favorite product tools in its design: wood paneling, interesting lighting, and dimensioned wall applications. “With a strong connection between the walls and the ceiling, it is like entering a futuristic half tunnel that blasts open on one side to the larger environment of the living and dining spaces,” says Provost. Lighting on the shaped gypsum panels can be dimmed to suit the occasion.

The sculptural Giuseppe Maurizio Scutella for Artemide dining fixture is crafted from a single slim sheet of aluminum. Modern steel-framed Bonaldo dining chairs clad in glove-soft turquoise leather, available at Casa Italia, add color in an out-front, unapologetic manner. The glass-topped dining table provides simplicity in the dramatically detailed space.

The breakfast nook complements the pure white of the kitchen’s Irpinia cabinetry. A white ‘petal’ fixture positioned over the chrome-legged glass-topped table provides a modern organic look. The Airnova chairs, available at Casa Italia, coordinate with the kitchen bar stools. The glass mosaic contemporary art complements the detail of the kitchen backsplash.

The kitchen redesign included reshaping the outer walls to a 90-degree angle. Provost created a stacked-plane ceiling detail to enliven the space and hide structural obstacles. The contemporary pastels of Amy Donaldson’s art inspired the backsplash. “I did a sketch and sent it to the mosaic tile company and they came back with a rendering of what it could look like, and we chose all of the tiles. It is an active process going back and forth to get it just right. These are hand-cut glass tiles with shine and dimension— it is really a work of art.” K2 Kitchens installed perimeter Irpinia white-gloss lacquer cabinets with a Cambria Oakmoor countertop. Keeping the couple’s visiting grandchildren in mind, Provost used an exceedingly durable low pressure laminate wood on the island with low-profile Airnova white leather barstools. A Sonneman linear fixture illuminates the dynamic space.

The built-in in the family room designed and built by K2 is clad in wood panels, high-gloss lacquered cabinets, and solid surface non-combustible material around the Napolean gas fireplace. A pair of upholstered chairs by American Leather with a wink back to ’50s and ’60s contemporary styling are a favorite of Provost’s. Two highly-adjustable recliners are also American Leather. Fully-pocketing sliding doors provide a seamless connection to the outdoor living areas.

This modern twist on a coffered ceiling turns the detail into part of the light treatment, making it more jewel-like and special. “I used recessed wood panels on which I interrupted the strong rectangular lines with the chaos of stainless-steel bands that cross the rigid form on unexpected angles. This gives some rhythm and movement to an otherwise static form,” explains Provost. A metal sculpture by Tyler Stinson modernizes the foyer view. The living area is anchored by an Emma Gardner Design area rug and the contemporary “Rock Around the Universe I” acrylic on canvas by artist Mary Ann Flynn Fouse, exclusively from The Sweet Art Gallery. The two curved-back wood panel chairs and pair of low arm chairs are both from American Leather. A Pianca coffee table is illuminated by the Artemide curvilinear chandelier.